One year further – carried by resilience!!
“One more year comes to an end, won through endurance, clarity, and daily effort. It was a year not given, but earned. It was made possible by those who stayed and held on. Not only for Ukraine, but for freedom and dignity as a whole. What sustains us remains simple and human. Experience and memory, the voice from home, hope and trust. Added to that, the ability to act together, even when it is hard. Not everything is visible, but much takes effect. Peace is not a wish list, but work. It is believed in, fought for, and worked toward. A new year begins. All the best, dear Ukrainians.”
“Without him, this does not happen” – a clear statement
Jack Smith was the special counsel of the US Department of Justice. He was appointed to examine the criminal responsibility surrounding the abuse of power by Donald Trump – independently, with far-reaching authority, and removed from political influence. His task was not to comment, but to gather evidence, formulate indictments, and assign responsibility. Jack Smith uses unusually clear words. Donald Trump was by far the main person responsible in this conspiracy. The acts were committed for his benefit. Not incidentally, but at the center. The attack on the Capitol, Smith says, is inconceivable without Trump. The words describe what was decided and what followed from it. Responsibility remains where it originated.
Temporary retreat – Trump’s National Guard plans halted in court – Supreme Court confirms
Donald Trump is, for now, withdrawing his plans to deploy the National Guard in Chicago, Los Angeles, and Portland. The move follows legal blocks that slowed the deployments. Trump nevertheless announces that he will return, stronger and later, when crime rises again. The governors of the states, who usually command the National Guard, had opposed the deployments. In Chicago and Portland, the troops never took to the streets due to ongoing legal proceedings. The Department of Justice told the court the issue was the protection of federal buildings and officers, not general policing. City administrations contradicted the White House’s success narrative and pointed to their own security programs. Chicago reported the lowest number of homicides since 2014 for 2025.
The courts played a central role. The Supreme Court allowed the blockade for the Chicago area to standfederal judges stopped deployments in California and Oregon. In Los Angeles, troops were withdrawn again following court decisions, and control returned to the governor. Trump nevertheless insists on further deployments, for example in Washington, D.C., Memphis, and New Orleans, where local governments partially agree. Critics see a political strategy based on pressure and presence, supporters from conservative regions speak of assistance with security. For now, however, the rule is clear: without court approval, the buildup remains limited.
Cable cut, ship seized – Finland investigates sabotage
In recent months, we have repeatedly reported on damaged undersea cables in the Baltic Sea region. Now there is a new incident. In the early morning hours, a telecommunications cable connecting Helsinki and Tallinn was damaged in the Gulf of Finland. Finnish authorities then seized the cargo ship Fitburg, which was traveling from Saint Petersburg to Haifa. At the time of the incident, the ship was sailing under the flag of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Investigators are examining severe property damage and a serious disruption of telecommunications.
Finnish police have taken control of a ship suspected of damaging a telecommunications cable between Helsinki and Tallinn. Elisa, the Finnish telecommunications company that owns the cable, reported a disruption early Wednesday morning. Later, authorities found a ship whose anchor chain had been lowered in the area where the damage occurred, within Estonia’s exclusive economic zone. Border Guard units stopped the ship and directed it into Finnish waters. Police are now investigating for severe property damage and disruption of telecommunications. Finland and Estonia are working closely together as part of a broader regional approach to protecting critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea.
The affected cable remained operational despite the damage, as the network is built redundantly. Nevertheless, special forces were deployed by helicopter onto the ship and took the 14 crew members into custody. The damaged section lies within Estonia’s exclusive economic zone. Officially, no state is being accused yet. In a region where lines have already been destroyed multiple times, concern is once again growing about targeted interference with critical infrastructure.
When even Karl Rove warns
Karl Rove is one of the most influential Republican strategists of the past decades. He was chief adviser to President George W. Bush, architect of multiple election campaigns, and for a long time a pace-setter of the party. When Rove publicly voices criticism, it happens rarely and not casually. All the more striking is his assessment that Donald Trump has gone too far. Rove says Trump has gone too far and many Americans find his narcissism repulsive. What is meant is not a single appearance, but a sustained posture that revolves only around himself. For Rove, this is not just a question of style, but a political problem. It is not a comment from the outside, but a warning from within the inner circle of Republican history.
Abracadabra, sim sala Putin – we reported on this yesterday – now the tanker changes its flag Wir hatten gestern bereits berichtet – jetzt wechselt der Tanker die Flagge
We reported on this yesterday. The fleeing oil tanker Bella 1 has now officially been renamed and entered into a Russian ship registry. According to the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping, the vessel is now sailing as Marinera, with home port Sochi and under the Russian flag. This step could make boarding by US forces more difficult, as ships are generally under the protection of their flag state. US authorities counter that the tanker did not carry a valid flag at the time of first contact with the Coast Guard. It was therefore considered stateless and legally vulnerable. Since then, the slow-moving ship has evaded control after being en route to load oil in Venezuela. Crew members were last reported to have even painted a Russian flag onto the hull.
Washington sees this as an attempt to force Russian protection. The US has already seized two other tankers from Venezuela’s oil trade and also holds a judicial seizure order for Bella 1. The background includes earlier transports of Iranian oil, which according to US statements served to finance terrorism. Whether the short-term Russian registration will hold up legally remains open. Only one thing is certain: the case is not closed.
Putin at the turn of the year – much routine, little war
“BlaBlaBla” would already describe the speech …
Vladimir Putin devoted only a few seconds of his New Year’s address to the war against Ukraine. In front of the walls of the Kremlin, he spoke of duty, homeland, and justice, without going into details. The rest of the speech remained familiar, calm, almost interchangeable. Russia as a big family, united, on the path to a better future. What stood out was what was missing. No word on possible peace talks, no reference to mediation efforts by Donald Trump, no outlook on an end to the fighting. At the same time, polls show that a majority of the Russian population now supports negotiations. The president, however, avoids any concrete perspective.
Instead, new accusations against Ukraine followed after an alleged drone attack, which Volodymyr Zelensky immediately rejected. In Moscow, these were interpreted as signals for a harder line. The New Year’s address remained brief. The willingness not to end the war was clearly recognizable – behavior that characterizes war criminals and is nevertheless admired by AFD Alice Weidel.
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